Tomicka lost 112 pounds

Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Tomicka lost 112 pounds.  The loss of her daughter, led her to seek comfort in food and depression came into her world. Subsequently, she got divorced and saw her weight reach 500 pounds. She took some time to share with us how she took her life back…

Peace & blessings everyone! I’m so glad I came across this community. I have followed BWLW for quite some time. This journey hasn’t been easy. I’ve been overweight my entire life. As I got older, I never cared much about losing the weight. In September of 2004, I lost my first born, Charisma. She was 5 years old. Her death changed me in ways I never thought possible. Food became my best friend and comforter. Toxic relationships were healthy to me. Depression and food addiction kicked in and a few years later, I was divorced. Food became my best friend again. At my heaviest I weighed over 500 pounds.

After learning that I had arthritis in my knees and that walking up 10 stairs had me out of breath, I knew I needed to do something fast. Last year, I had a “Get real moment” with myself. I started doing an insane amount of walking. Walking became an everyday thing. I did 4 miles a day, 5 days a week.

I learned to substitute veggies for pastas. I also changed the way I cooked my favorite meals and started making smoothies. Using smoothies as a meal replacement really helped a lot. My go to smoothie was a strawberry, pineapple and kale smoothie, with Chia seeds for bulk/thickness. Instead of milk or juices, I used coconut water.

Last year, I weighed in at 385 pounds at 6 feet tall. As of today, I’m 112 pounds lighter and loving it. I have an amazing support team who encouraged me daily. My advice to anyone who is losing weight is to set realistic goals. I would challenge myself to lose 10 lbs, reach that goal, give myself a break and then set another short term goal. This kept me from binge eating or just giving up altogether.

Today is a new day! Food is still my friend, lol, but the more colorful, more healthy ones. I have changed my whole way of eating. I get teased because I work in a bakery and am a hobby baker, yet I still manage to keep the weight off. I’m still going strong on my journey, but I had to give a shout out and share my story with you.